I am glad that I read this new Anna Quindlen novel. After Annie is a book about motherhood and the need to just manage, to just get it done, no matter what is thrown at a mother. It is no spoiler to write that Annie dies in the opening paragraphs. It is what happen after Annie's death that is the focus of this short but powerful Quindlen novel. Annie leaves behind 4 young children, a bewildered husband, a best friend, and many, many people who knew and loved her. The people who knew Annie must figure put how to move forward, which is much more difficult that they could have imagined. Annie's death leaves a hole that cannot be filled.

For readers of After Annie, we only get to know the central force of Annie Brown's family through the memories of those who were left behind and who knew and loved her. I felt such regret that I did not know Annie, who is so human and so full of love. I can only get to know her through Quindlen's prose, which is beautifully lyrical. All of the characters in this novel are rich in detail and in dimension, with so many layers. They struggle to cope with Annie's loss. Death is without measure. It is just loss. Although Annie's children are her legacy, they don't feel that way. They simply miss their mother and for the youngest, wonder where she has gone. There are no happy endings when the mother of a young family dies, but there can be a series of good endings once everyone figures out how to live. Life is full of possibilities and sometimes loss. As Quindlen suggests in After Annie, mostly we find our way.

Thank you to the publisher, Random House, and to NetGalley for providing this ARC. I really loved this book.

An emotional read, but a reminder to all of us with loved ones to never take a moment for granted. Annie is a wife, mother of four and a good friend who dies suddenly and leaves those she loves to deal with this sudden loss.

After Annie is a thoughtful look at love and loss. Annie collapses in the middle of dinner one evening, surrounded by her 4 children and her husband. Unfortunately, Annie never returns home and leaves behind a hole in those who loved her. Her oldest daughter finds herself taking over caring for her younger brothers and struggles to find a way to process her grief. Her next brother Ant clams up and becomes distant. and the youngest brothers are still waiting for their Mommy to come home. With her Dad consumed with managing his business and providing for his kids, so much falls through the cracks. And then there is Annie's best friend, Annemarie, who feels she has lost a part of herself. She and Annie were inseparable and Annie saved her during her darkest days. This novel shows how everyone who loved Annie and was lucky to be over by her move through the seasons of a year as they process their grief and loss, cherish the memories and the love and learn how to move forward into the future Annie believed was waiting for them all.

I loved this book more than I expected to. Each character was so different and lost in their own way but found their inner strength and managed to move on, one step at a time. This was my first book by Anna Quindlen but likely won't be the last. Thank you to Random House for providing me an early review copy of this novel. It was released on 2/27/2024.

A short read filled with possibility and grief. The death of a major figure in their lives, the husband, children and best friend find their way. Quindlen throws in some aha prose that turns this into more than just a sentimental read. The characters are relatable and the sadness is erratic. A hopeful read.

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

So well written and incredibly sad. A beautiful portrait of a family trying to live after the death of the matriarch.

Within the beginning pages, I felt like I was gasping for air on the accuracy, and raw emotions as the story of “After Annie” unfolds.
I was not prepared for Annie to die in the first chapter as she and her family went about living life on a normal day. One moment Annie and family are preparing for an everyday meal, then in the next, her death. So well written I almost felt like an observer in the room, as her husband Bill and children processed events they had witnessed.

Preparing and attending Annie’s funeral via the written word felt emotional and surreal. Through-out the book the loss of Annie unraveled memories for her husband Bill, her children and lifelong best friend Annemarie as they grapple with the hole left behind, and how to move forward. Ms. Quindlen's so beautifully pulls the reader into intimate memories of those who loved Annie and the kind of woman Annie was.

I was taken by how Annie lived a normal life yet woven through her life the joys of simple things.

“After Annie” will remain with me for a long time.

There’s no one who hasn’t had to deal with the death - often sudden - of a love one. In After Annie Anne Quindlen uses her considerable skill to relate the story of a family dealing with the sudden death of their wife/mother to all readers. This will tug at your heartstrings and bring on tears in the best possible way. After Annie one of Quindlen’s best works.

Ana Quindlen never disappoints. This is the story of loss and overcoming it. When four children lose their mother unexpectedly life loses all of its normalcy. However, over the next year they learn to cope with the help of her best friend. Annie was everything to her family and friends. Slowly they recover from their loss. It's a yearlong battle trying to reconfigure their lives without their mother. Watching their father struggle is difficult enough but add to that the struggles that Annie's best friend has with recurring drug addictions and you have a novel of many triumphs. .

The devastation that loss unleashes in a family and the struggle to remain a family lies at the heart of this heartbreaking, yet heartwarming story. We learn about Annie through those she left behind and their often flailing attempts at dealing with her loss. All of the book will resonate in your heart as you alternately want to comfort and chastise those left behind.

I was able to connect emotionally to the characters in this book because of the development of the characters. Anna Quindlen is an author to admire and I would read anything she writes.

Grief is a powerful emotion and Ann Quinlan has really captured it in her new and memorable novel, “After Annie”. Her story details the process that Annie’s husband, children and best friend, experienced as they dealt with the shock and loss of this young woman.
Annie passed away suddenly and unexpectedly.
Different sections in the book portrays each of these character’s feelings and grief experiences which are told in their own voices, as they try to carry on without Annie.
This was a very emotional story to read. I found myself tearing up at times. Everyone who has ever lost a loved one will be impacted by this book.
This was a definite 5 star rating from me.

When someone dies suddenly, it's extremely hard to even begin grieving. One day they are here, one day they are gone. And when that person is young, or even worse, someone who a lot of people depend on, it can be devastating. So when Annie dies, leaving her children without a mother and her husband without a wife, the whole family is lost.

Quindlen artfully spins a realistic tale and character study into the stages of grief. Annie's husband, her four children and her best friend go through it all without the one person they would depend on to get through challenging times. In the end, through it all, they find eachother and each go through a type of metamorphis that Annie would have been proud of.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Random House for an advanced e galley in exchange for my honest review. This one is out now!

I know that going into every Anna Quindlen book that I will love it, that I will savor the stories, and that I might come out the other side a different person.

After Annie was no different. This is a book that I intentionally took my time to read. I did not want to rush the experience, I know how to read a book like this so that I can let it marinate inside my brain and fully come to love every single word.

This is the story of the Brown family. Tragedy strikes one evening in their kitchen and Bill and his four children have to find a way to move forward, to keep going, to keep Annie alive in their family. This is also the story of Annemarie, Annie's best friend since childhood who has dealt with addiction issues and how will she survive losing the love of her life?

This book is beautiful. You might not think that until the end, but the journey to get there is just a wonderful experience.

Anna Quindlen is a master at character driven stories. After Annie is a master class in showing character growth during adversity.

The title character, Annie, dies unexpectedly leaving her husband, four children, and lifelong best friend to grieve. The story alternates POV between Bill, the husband; Ali, the daughter; and Annemarie, the best friend. Each have their own internal struggles along with memories of Annie. Quindlen does a fabulous job of showing how grief devastates, but you have to keep living.

This is a great book for anyone who enjoys a character study. Thank you netgalley for the advanced copy!

I found this book to be sad. A mother of four suddenly dies and the book is about how each of her children and her husband deal with her death.
Quindlen writes with much feeling and compassion for her characters.
I was disappointed in Bill because I thought he moved on too fast with one of his old flames. The children were still quite young and defimwtky needed guidance and direction.
In the end you have to move on in order to keep living but not forgetting.

After Annie by Anna Quindlen is a heartwarming novel of a family lost when their matriarch Annie suddenly dies while putting dinner on the table, collapsing after saying she had a headache. Afterwards, her husband, children and best friend are bereft, realizing how much Annie did for them and how she was the glue that held them all together. As they navigate their first year without her, they each have to take on new roles and have to find strength within themselves to be people Annie would be proud of. Anna Quindlen knows how to write a powerful novel, and does it every time. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Self employed Bill Brown and his four young children were left adrift when Annie suddenly dropped dead in the kitchen while preparing to serve dinner. Bill is in high demand as a plumber as winter sets in and without Annie at the helm, is at a loss as to how to meet the needs of his devastated little family. This is a beautifully written book, one I simply could not put down. Thank you Random House for this advanced reader copy.

After Annie is a heart wrenching story about surviving grief. Anna Quindlen has a way of writing what her reader is thinking. The sadness of the story does not overwhelm the interesting characters. The plot is sad, but subtly hopeful. This thought provoking novel implores that the only way out of grief is to accept help from others. This is an important message for us all.

I absolutely love a family drama written by Anna Quindlen! This one dives into the aftermath a family faces after the death of Annie, the matriarch but also a daughter, sister, wife, and best friend. Large topics of grief and moving on are touched on but in a quiet way and the reader is keyed into how this loss is felt by everyone who loved Annie. Be prepared to be moved but know that this is a sad one!

Anna Quindlen has once again captured my heart while sharing the heart breaking story about how a young mother, Annie’s death affects her husband, four children and best friend. Her characters are so real and so very touching, each with their own individual way of coping with the immense hole in their lives. The way Quindlen shows you their emotions without telling you is so very well done and the story moves seamlessly from Bill’s point of view, to her daughter Ali’s point of view to her best friend Annemarie’s point of view. While each tugged at my heart I was devastated by Annemarie’s struggles. I recently lost my best friend of more than 45 years and identified so easily with Annemarie’s profound loss.
Ali’s friend, Jenny, also brought tears to my eyes, as did Ali’s struggle to know what to do with her knowledge. The counselor’s insights and ability to say the right things at the right times saved this struggling family. I do believe that a puppy would have helped heal each of them.
So many topics covered such a touching and effective manner. I so loved the whole connection to people at the nursing home. Basically I loved everything about this incredible story with the exception of Bill’s mother.
This read made me cry, brought make memories, made me feel deeply, and definitely helped me realize that the little things people do affect others lives and are so very appreciated. Just another reminder to live your life extending kindness to all.
Many many thanks to Anna Quindlen for another unbelievable read, Random House, and NetGalley for affording me the absolute pleasure of reading an arc of this very touching story just recently published. I highly recommend this read to every one.